The Bleak Walker

When the battle started, chaos erupted.

The two armies that gathered here broke into a complete battle. They fired their guns, they cast away their magic, and let out furious roars as they face each other.

What was it? What were they fighting for in the first place?

Their goal was to reach that place where the road to freedom was.

If they can then they would be able to escape this withering world.

However, the path was blocked by an army that has guarded the passage for centuries. The half-dragon stood in front of them, and he was met by the swing of a sword from the War Maiden that saved the world.

“Ciara!”

“Kaiser!”

The two met swords, creating a vibration that shook the land.

Their greeting was the sword in their hands, and there was no need to speak.

The language they spoke was the clanging of their swords.

They met without holding back, their swords clashing, not minding the destruction they are causing.

The artillery cannons were drowned out by their clash. The gunfire was like small fireworks compared to their swords. Their eyes were trained on each other, tracing the movement, blocking attacks, and countering them.

The War Maiden fought with ferocity, and each of her slashes scarred the land.

The Half-Dragon did the same.

“I see,” she smiled savagely. “You took the life of Draedan, how kind of you to do that for me!”

“I need to match you, War Maiden. It would be unkind of me to not fight you at my best! It would be an insult to the woman who would destroy this world for the sake of her family!”

The Half-Dragon cleaved with his sword.

The War Maiden blocked, and countered with a slash from her sword.

Kaiser dodged, took a tight hold of his sword and ran it across the ground, emitting a spark that should have split Ciara in half.

Ciara however, parried the attack and followed it with a thrust that pushed the Half-Dragon back.

“You are rusty, Kaiser, ah, are you tired? Want me to give you a rest?”

Kaiser grinned, his eyes burning.

This was only the opening of his battle.

The Half-Dragon had dreamt of this day after being beaten by the woman.

He has poured his heart and even killed his Elder to gain power.

He wanted to defeat this woman who surpassed all trials.

He wanted to defeat this woman and show the world that he was the only one that could be called the strongest.

He had dreamt of surpassing the woman who was called the savior of this world.

But---

“--I’ll show you why they call me the greatest swordsman…”

--this wasn’t his battle alone.

A sword popped out of his chest. Kaiser turned to where the sword came from and saw a Wraith.

“A time wraith...you bastards are betraying us!?”

“Time wraith? No, I’m just a lowly Bleak Walker who became one.”

This wasn’t just the battle between who would reach the passage.

Kaiser thought it was only him and the War Maiden.

But it wasn’t.

This wasn’t the day that was meant for the Half-dragon

It belonged to the War Maiden and a Wraith who had waited for a chance to take this one in a million strike.

Kaiser wasn’t able to speak.

He could only watch as the Wraith swung the sword against his neck.

A lowly iron sword shouldn’t be able to dent the skin of a half-dragon.

However, the iron sword phased through his hard skin, the iron sword materializing, slicing his windpipe. That wasn’t enough to kill the half-dragon, and so he levered his strength, targeting the Archimedean point of the half-dragon, making use of gravity and his body weight to tear through the hard neck of the half-dragon, his head, finally rolling on the ground.

“Oh my,” Ciara said. “What did the half-dragon do to offend such sneaky time wraith?”

The Wraith looked at the War Maiden who was brimming with power.

“It saddens me that you can’t even recognize me. Ah, you are always like that, blinded by duty, and always looking for excuses to go on your path. You knew didn’t you?”

“Nolan, ah, to think that you revive this early. I see, there were other parts of you roaming around, no wonder I couldn’t locate you. This is fine, this is good, now I don’t have to find you.”

“Tell me, Ciara, just tell me. Did you ever thought of running away with me?”

“What do you mean?”

“I said, did you ever thought of running away? Abandoning it all for the sake of being together?”

“You are confusing me.”

“Tell me, Ciara, did you ever thought of running away with this lowly me?”

“I cannot do that at the moment. I must secure the existence of the family that have been following me, it is my duty-“

“That’s all I need to hear,” he cut her off. “Duty, I see, it is always duty with you, isn’t it? Duty that, and that, and then do this for the sake of your duty, and your role, and all of that. You killed our stillborn because duty demands you for it, you hung me in the gallows because it was a duty for you, and you betrayed me, left me to die, and did it all for the sake of duty. How many times did I tell you to run away with me in the many timelines we've spent? Abandon your duties, and run away with me. That’s all I ever wanted from you. But I guess was delusional. That love you have isn’t truly love. You were just thinking that it was your duty to take care of someone who chased after you for so long. I see, I never really reached you didn’t I? In the end, you only saw me as one of your duties that needs to be upheld.”

“That is-“

“Enough about that, that’s all I needed to hear from you.”

The corpse of the half-dragon started melting, slowly, it merged with the Wraith who was standing before the War Maiden.

“Here I go, my War Maiden. Let us fulfill our death do us part!”